Appreciation
by YellowSteed
Summary: Even the best need help.
1. Punishment

**Punishment **

"You are charged with the misuse of godly powers on the night of September the fifth, with the intent of maliciously interfering with several mortals. How do you plead?"

"If it's a crime to punish those who destroy the natural world, then guilty as charged" I calmly replied.

Zeus' eyes crackled with anger.

"This is not a matter to be taken lightly" he roared, his voice echoing throughout the chamber. "You have interfered with the mortal world without permission. For that, you must be punished!"

Athena's eyes flashed with interest.

"Did you have a punishment in mind Father?" she asked.

"Oooh I hope she has to spend some time working on some high-end fashion designs" Aphrodite squealed. I snorted in disgust. Like I would ever spend my time with something as useless as that. Clothing should be efficient and practical, not glitzy and colorful.  
"I for one hope she has to spend 10 hours running under the sun so she can finally get a tan" Apollo laughed, flashing his perfect smile.

"Enough! I have thought about a fitting punishment for quite some time and have made up my mind" Zeus said. "Artemis, you are sentenced to live without your godly powers for 500 years. This includes your immortality. However, if you and one mortal can retrieve the pieces of the lost sword of Perseus within that time your sentence will be lifted immediately".

"What?! This is outrageous, unheard of!" I yelled.

"Well it is now" Zeus stated. "Now, be gone from here".

Black spots filled the corners of my eyes as my vision went blurry. I felt unsteady on my feet and started falling backwards. All I could see was the ceiling of the Olympic Council Room as I lost consciousness.

First I felt a throbbing in my head. Then the soft fingers of grass all around my body. My eyes blinked open to reveal a serene field. Flowers dotted the landscape as far as I could see, their white petals winking at me in the sunlight. I groggily stood up but collapsed as soon as I did so. My body felt so weak I couldn't support my own weight. Kneeling forward I planted my hands on the grass and pressed down, stretching my legs. I slowly raised my head to the sky. The clearest blue welcomed me, and the sun shone down not with a harsh light but an enveloping one. I smiled. This is what I loved most, nature at its finest.

A buzzing bee flew near my arm. I held out my hand for it to land on, so I might say hello to a friendly creature. It lazily flew in close before descending to my palm. Seconds after I cried out in pain while shaking my hand. I examined my hand as the bee wandered off. Blood began trickling out of a small indent, a parting gift from my friend. I stood there stunned, trying to comprehend what just happened. Creatures of the wild had never hurt me before unless they were monsters, and I was certain that lazy bee was no monster.

I closed my eyes and sought my last memory before coming to this place, wherever it was. From the blackness came the glaring face of Zeus and my whole body felt shocked. He had removed my powers as punishment, that's right. For how long was it? 500 I think. A vague notion that there was a shorter way crept into my mind but I dismissed it for now. Since I was basically a mortal now I need to find food and shelter, neither of which can be found in this field. I began walking across the field, hoping to find something of use at its end. If it had one.


	2. Lost and Found

**Lost and Found**

The field had no end in sight so I began to run, slowly at first then much quicker. I kept going until everything was a blur around me, forming streaks of green and yellow under the sun's rays. After running for some time I began to feel exhausted with a sharp pain in my left side. I slowed to a walk to catch my breath. Looking up, I could track the sun's movement in the sky. It was 2pm wherever I was. Glancing down at the horizon I noticed not just flat plains of grass and flowers but a tree in the distance. A tree would have a trunk that I could rest on after running for so long.

I gradually made my way towards the tree, my feet growing heavier with every step. As I grew nearer, I sensed a magical aura in the air which seemed to be centered at the heart of the tree. Life was especially vibrant around the base of the tree to my surprise, which soon vanished when I saw a glowing fleece hanging from a branch. Its golden sheen rippled through the air, breathing fresh life into everything nearby. It's been a long time since I've been this close to the Golden Fleece I thought to myself. I reached out towards the fleece but froze when I heard a low growl. Out from behind the tree slithered the head of a dragon, eyeing me cautiously. Oh right, the fleece always had a guardian of sorts. Who was this again? "Peleus" I said out loud, answering myself. The dragon's eyes became yellow slits, extremely suspicious of me. "It's me, Artemis" I explained. His eyes did not change, but he did not attempt to stop me from moving beyond him. Just below the apparent hill I was on was a large house near some volleyball courts. In the distance I could make out some cabins in a peculiar shape and a forest immediately behind them. I smiled. Here I would find food and shelter.

I made my way straight to the Big House, meaning to talk with Chiron. Maybe he could help me with my current situation and point me in the right direction. There were campers everywhere, keeping up with their training. Several turned and stared at me as I walked by but I was used to that, being a goddess and everything. Chiron was playing pinochle with Dionysus on the front porch. The buffoon cared more about getting drunk and having a good time than morals and vows. But that was neither here nor there. We mostly left each other alone in our godly duties but did not care much for one another. He studied his cards while Chiron greeted me.

"Hello there, I don't believe we've met before. I'm Chiron, and you are?" he asked. I looked at him, puzzled. "You don't recognize me?" I asked.

"I'm afraid not my dear. Have you been claimed yet?" he gently asked. I was stunned. He thought I was just another camper. I looked down and found myself wearing one of those orange shirts I had seen the other campers wearing. I looked back up at Chiron who was staring at me intently.

"It's me, Artemis!" I exclaimed. Dionysus snorted while playing a card on the table. "Right, and I'm a centaur" he laughs. Chiron glanced at him looking slightly amused before turning back to me. "My dear girl, Artemis is one of the Olympian gods. At the very least she has a godly aura around her all the time, of which you do not. So you're not Artemis herself, but maybe you know one of her hunters?" he asked. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. They didn't recognize me at all. How is that possible? "What's your name?" Chiron gently asked. Well if they don't believe that I'm Artemis, I could still get them to refer to me that way. "My name is Artemis" I told him. "After the goddess?" he asked, surprised. I nodded. Chiron looked thoughtful. "It is not often at all that the virgin goddess allows demigods to bear her namesake". He stared at me intently. "Do you know who your godly parent is?" he asked. Why not I thought. "I am a daughter of Zeus" I responded.

"Zeus? Are you sure?" Chiron looked troubled. "I wasn't aware that he had broken his oath at all recently…" Dionysus laughed. "Are you kidding? All of the Big Three break their oaths nowadays".

"Still, I wasn't aware of any recent transgressions…" Chiron pondered. "I guess she can stay in Zeus' cabin then. I'll go get someone to show you around". He trotted off towards the arena. Dionysus swapped one of his cards with the top card of the deck while wistfully looking at his empty wine glass. We each remained silent, thinking about how to get out of our current situations. Zeus said there was a way to get my powers back before the required amount of time had passed but I couldn't recall what. Perhaps there was some way too… My thought process was interrupted by two voices heading towards me, getting louder as they approached. It seemed as though they were arguing. I could make out Chiron's figure but had no clue as to the identity of his companion.

"Oh look" Dionysus said glumly, "it's Annabell again".


End file.
